Survival of the republican state through westward expansion

Survival of the Republican State
Throuah Westward Expansion
Bl:) Carel:) Lee Bostian
2nd Place
As our nation's first secretary of state, second vice president, and third president, as well as
draftsman of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson is considered one of the most influential
people in the histoYlj of the United States. In 1801, his prominent position as leader of the DemocraticRepublican
political party led to his nomination and election to the office of President of the United
States, in which he dili8ently served two four-year terms. Thomas Jefferson's pivotal decision to purchase
the Louisiana territory in 1803 marked the zenith of his political career, but it posed a problem for the
Republicans because his actions were widely perceived as a violation of the party's primary principles.
Iiowever, Jefferson and his fellow party members felt that this land acquisition was vital to the survival of
the Republican state and called for a temporanJ suspension of the stricter tenns of their political
philosophy.
The Louisiana territoYlj, a tract of land coverin8 more than 800,000 square miles between the
Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, was first explored and claimed by the French in 1682.
American interest in the territonJ increased durin8 the be8innin8 of the 1800s, when many of the farmers
livin8 near the Mississippi River be8an usin8 the waterway to transport their 800ds to New Orleans, hom
which point they were traded and shipped to other nations. Since the French made it difficult and costly
for the American farmers to trade £rom the port, the United States sou8ht to 8ain tradin8 ri8hts at the
harbor. As Thomas Jefferson wrote in his letter to Robert Livin8ston, the United States ambassador to
France, it was "impossible that France and the United States can continue 10n8 friends when they meet in
so irritable a position" (qtd. in Cunnin8ham, 1987, p. 260). Consequently, Jefferson sent Livin8ston to
ne80tiate an aereement with Napoleon for a small tract of land on the lower Mississippi where the
Americans could build their own seaport for a price of two million dollars or less. Impatient with
Livin8ston's discussions, JeHerson decided to send James Monroe to Paris to oHer Napoleon ten million
dollars for New Orleans and West Florida. In April of 1803, the two men were infonned by Charles
Maurice de Talley rand, Napoleon's forei8nminister, that they must purchase the entire territonJ if they
wanted control over anyone part, so it was aereed that the United States would buy the Louisiana
territonJ for fi£teenmillion dollars: approximately three cents per acre. A treaty was si8ned on April 30,
1803.
While many Americans saw the Louisiana Purchase as a territoYlj rich in natural resources for
citizens to settle, the land acquisition that nearly doubled the size of the United States raised many
controversial questions. The treaty spelled out all of the details concernin8 the transaction of the land
passin8 from France to the United States, but it did not make it clear how the new territoYlj should be
80verned. Politicians ar8ued about whether to make the land a colonial possession, add it to the union as
one lar8e state, or divide it into a 8rouP of states. They also questioned what to do with the French settlers
who had already made their home in the re8ion. Much of the opposition to the contract came £rom the
Federalist Party, consistin8 mostly of northerners, who ar8ued that fifteen million dollars was too much to
pay for a tract of land assumed to be worthless and that the western and southern states would be the only
beneficiaries of the purchase.
Another source o£ opposition came hom those who believed in strict interpretation o£ the
Constitution and states' ri8hts, since the Louisiana Purchase violated this traditional Republican
viewpoint so staunchly upheld by Thomas JeHerson. The JeHersonian concept o£ strict constitutional
constructionism con£inned the Tenth Amendment's position that "the powers not dele8ated to the United
States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to
the people" (qtd. in Cunnin8ham, 1987, p.165). JeHerson continually endorsed his position on this matter,
as was evident durin8 the Con8ressional debates about the possibility o£ the national80vernment
charterin8 a private bank. Accordin8 to JeHerson, the national80vernment did not have the ri8ht to erect
a bank since the Constitution made no mention o£ this power, and he felt that doinB so would allow the
United States to become a nation controlled by an elite 8rouP composed o£ the wealthy and prosperous.
Bein8 a farmer himsel£, JeHerson advocated a strict interpretation o£ the Constitution in order to protect
the ri8hts o£ American citizens frol11 even] socioeconomic class (Balleck, 1992). However, he went a.gainst
this principle when he authorized the purchase o£ the entire Louisiana territory, and l11any questioned his
alle8iance to his supposed belief that the Constitution should be interpreted in a strict l11anner. There was
nowritien clause in this document 8ivin8 the President the power to incorporate forei8n territory into the
United States. There£ore, accordin8 to JeHerson's concept o£ exact interpretation, he did not have the
authority to si8n the treaty with France (Carson, 1992). In one o£ his private letters, JeHerson
acknowleJeed his moral dileml11a when he wrote that "the 8eneral80vernment has no powers but such as
the Constitution has 8iven it; and it has not 8iven it a power o£ holdin8 forei8n terri ton], and sUllless o£
incorporatin8 it into the Union" ( qtd. in Cunnin8hal11, 1987, p. 265~6).
Re8ardin8 the Constitution as an inflexible document and bein8 wary of a 80vernment that
concentrated power in the hands of too few people, JeHerson and his fellow party members stron81y
promoted states' ri8hts. As indicated by his ideas clearly set£orth in the Kentucky Resolutions o£1799,
JeHerson deel11ed that the national 8 0vernl11ent should have exclusive control over £orei8n aHairs while
states retained the ri8ht to l11ana.ge all dOl11estic aHairs. He felt that the stron8, centralized federal
80Vernl11ent endorsed by the Federalist Party posed a serious threat to the individual ri8hts 8uaranteed to
each American citizen. In keepin8 with a policy o£ strict Constitutional interpretation, JeHerson and other
Republicans felt that the civil liberties of the populace would be protected since the adl11inistrative power
would be l110re evenly dispersed (Balleck, 1992). By limitine the cOl11l11and of the federaleovernment to
simply that which was documented in the Constitution, the Republicans were ensurin8 that the central
adl11inistration would never 8ain enou8h control to upset the authority of the state 80vernments.
Many o£ his contemporary Al11ericans hastily assul11ed that JeHerson's decision to purchase the
vast amount of territon] west o£ the Mississippi River not only went a.gainst his belief in strict
interpretation but also a.gainst the idea of states' ri8hts that he continually chal11pioned. By electin8 to
si8n the treaty without addin8 an al11endment to the Constitution specificalh.] 8ivin8 the President the
ability to increase the land area of the United States, JeHerson opened the door for future leaders to take
advanta.ge of powers not specifically enumerated in the text of the docul11ent, thus lessenin8 the in£luence
of the states in dOl11estic issues. In fact, JeHerson had insisted, in response to a bill to charter a national
bank, that "to take a sin8le step beyond the boundaries thus specifically drawn around the powers of
Con8ress, is to take possession of a boundless field of power, no lon8er susceptible of any definition" (qtd.
in Cunnin8ham, 1987, p.165).
Althou8h JeHerson's acquisition of the Louisiana territory l11ay have seel11ed to 80 a.gainst his
principles, it served to achieve his political party's ultimate 80al of preservin8 Republicanism and
8uaranteein8 national security. Jefferson o£ten voiced his opinion that Republicanisl11 is the only £orl11 of
$OvenUllent appropriate for the United States, but, as often documented with other republics, $rowth and
development will eventually lead to a more centralized $ovenunent, where the real power of the country
rests in the hands of a few (Balleck, 1992). Therefore, he believed, a lil11ited $overl1l11en t and a population
of ethical citizens are needed in order for a Republican $ovenUllent to endure. The core beliefs o£ the
Del11ocratic-Republican Party, includin$ a strict interpretation of the Constitution and states' ri$hts, were
intended to provide a l11eans for prolon$in$ the life of the republic; however, Jefferson saw the Louisiana
Purchase as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity providin$ for the 10n$-terl11 security of Republicanisl11. By
drastically extendin$ the Western boundan] of the United States, vast al110unts of uncharted territon]
becal11e available for civilians to explore and settle, dispersin$ our rapidly $rowin$ population. The
resultin$ l11i$ration of Am.ericans £rom the well developed, established cities linin$ the East coast to the
wilderness beyond the Mississippi River served to distribu te the populace l110re evenly, thus postponin$
the threat of urbanization. While continuin$ to believe that the mechanisl11s of strict interpretation and
states' ri$hts are crucial to the life of the Republic, Jefferson perceived the purchase o£ the Louisiana
territory as a case in which the ends justifies the l11eans. lie felt that it was necessary to $0 aaainst his
beliefs tel11porarily by takin$ advantd$e of powers not specifically assi$ned to his position throu$h the
Constitution, in order to ensure the preservation o£ Republicanism, our political party's fundal11ental
objective. Alter this provisional breach o£ principles, Jefferson returned to his ori$inal standpoint
re$ardin$ the structure o£ the national $overnl11ent (Balleck, 1992).
Althou$h many l11el11bers of the Federalist Party, and even SOl11e l11el11bers o£ his own party,
criticized Thol11as Jefferson for abandonin$ his beliefs o£ strict Constitutional constructionisl11 and states'
ri$hts when he d$reed to the Louisiana Purchase, his actions were ul til11ately justilied by his desire to
uphold the chief principle of the Del11ocratic-Republican Party, to l11aintain Republicanisl11, and to
establish political £reedol11 throu$hout the Western Hel11isp here (Wills, 2000).
Re$ardless of the opinions of others, Jeffersonl11ade a decision that has had a trel11endous,
constructive impact on our nation, and he was willin$ to stick with this course of action even thou$h it
violated his personal beliefs. It took much courd$e for a l11an of his authority and presti$e to put aside his
individual convictions and doubts so that our society as a whole mi$ht benefit.
Referel1ces
Ambrose, Stephen E (1996). Undaunted CouratJe: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas lellerson, and the Opening
of the American West. New York: Touchstone.
This book details the Lewis and Clark expedition and Jefferson's role in westward
expansion.
Balleck, Barry 1. (1992). When the Ends Justif-y the Means: Thol11as Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase.
Presidential Studies Quarterly, 22(4), 679~697.
This article describes Jefferson's viewpoint about the interpretation of the U.S.
Constitution. It also provides insi,ght into his l110ral dilel11l11a about a,greein,g to the
Louisiana Purchase.
Carson, David A (1992). Blank Paper of the Constitution: The Louisiana Purchase Debates. Historian, 54
(3), 4 77 ~491.
This article also presents inforl11ation about Jefferson's stance re,gardin,g strict
interpretation of the U.s. Constitution and how his beliefs impacted the Louisiana
Purchase decision.
Cunnin,ghal11, Noble E, Jr. (1987). In Pursuit of Reason: The Lile of Thomas lellerson. Baton Rou,ge:
Louisiana State Universit-y Press.
This book provides information about Thomas Jefferson's standpoint on political issues
and his personal stru,g,gle with the Louisiana Purchase.
The Treat-y of the Louisiana Purchase. (No Date). Retrieved March 27, 2001 frol11 the World Wide Web:
http://W.;.lW.earllJal11erica.com/earlll al11erica/milestones/louisiana!.
This website specifies the details of the Louisiana Purchase. It also provides a full text of
the treat-y and al11ap of the Louisiana territory.
Wills, Gary. (2000). Thomas lefferson: Genius of Liberty. New York: Vikin,g Studio.
This book describes the impact of westward expansion on American societ-y and details
Thol11as Jefferson's role in this exploration.

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